Former Chamber head clarifies names of German descendants

Wednesday

May 16, 2007 at 7:23 AMMay 16, 2007 at 11:57 AM

The German origins of some apparently "Cajun" surnames were revealed in a 1940 Houma Courier article about Louisiana’s "German Coast."

The newspaper, on Friday May 16, 1940, published in full Eugene Dumez’s talk at the meeting of the local Rotary Club. Dumez spoke at length about the early German settlement on the Mississippi River in the vicinity of present-day Hahnville, noting that the Germans were already established there when the first of the Acadians expelled by the British from their homes in present-day Nova Scotia, Canada, began arriving in Louisiana. The first half of the speech apparantly taken from Dumez's own written text, was reprinted here last week.

The remainder of the 2,500-word 1940 newspaper article follows:

"May we, at this time," Dumez said, "turn our attention to the Acadians, who were about to come to Louisiana and join the Germans in an event of historical importance to the state?"

Here, Dumez briefly reviewed the history of the Acadian colony in French Canada. "In 1604, a company of noblemen from France founded a colony in the French territory of North America known as New France, later named Acadia (now Nova Scotia). "In 1713, France ceded Acadia to England, allegiance to the English crown was exacted and a ban placed on religion."

Because the French Catholic Acadians did not accept the British demand that they swear allegiance to an English monarch and adopt the Anglican religion, there was trouble between them and British officials.

"In 1755," Dumez said, "Charles Lawrence, governor of Acadia, started deportation of the French Acadians. Over 6,000 were violently expelled, causing untold misery; their dwellings and churches burned and their crops destroyed.

"The people were herded like sheep on transports to be scattered along the Atlantic Coast, but many returned to Acadia to be expelled again in 1762. Some returned to France, but many at last found a home in Louisiana, the new Acadia, where they were hospitably received because of the natural ties of race and religion held in common from the mother country of France by the colonists of both Acadia and Louisiana."

Earlier in his talk, Dumez had told his listeners that the Germans had begun arriving in the summer of 1721. It was more than 40 years later that the first "Cajuns" set foot in the state.

"The first Acadians arrived in Louisiana in February, 1765, when 123 of them landed in New Orleans. They were given lands on the Mississippi River above the German settlements whence they gradually became widely extended throughout their present homes in south and southwest Louisiana."

Coincidentally, the Acadian Frenchmen who had been expelled from Canada when France ceded it to England, reached a Louisiana that France was transferring to another European country.

"These Acadians arrived just as the Spanish government was taking possession of Louisiana and they joined their French brothers and the German colonists in opposing the rule of Spain. It was on the German coast," Dumez said, "that the revolution of 1768 began. Ulloa, the Spanish governor had taken possession of the colony in the name of the king of Spain, to whom France had ceded Louisiana and he had found the population very hostile.

"Karl Friedrich D’Arensbourg, commander and judge of the German Coast, defied the messenger of the Spanish governor and it was his influence which enabled Villere to march with 400 Germans upon New Orleans where they were joined by the Acadians under Noyan, marching to the public square (now Jackson Square) to support a general demand to give Ulloa three days time to leave Louisiana.

"The resolution was carried and the people greeted the news with shouts of ëvive Le Roi -- Vive Louis Le Bien Aime.’ Ulloa left on the first of November on a French vessel for Havana.

"The success of the revolution was due chiefly to Lafreniere, the Canadian orator, the Canadian militia and to D’Arensbourg and his Germans. Meanwhile, an appeal to France to take possession of the colony again was denied and the hopes of the leaders of the rebellion against Spanish rule began to waver.

"On the 24th of July, 1769 the news reached New Orleans that the Spanish general O’Reilly had arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi with a large force to take possession of Louisiana. Again, Marquis and other leaders called the people to the public square and implored them to defend their liberties and again the Germans came to the city to oppose O’Reilly’s entrance.

"But many there had resolved to surrender and the Germans returned to their homes. Six of the leaders of the revolution were condemned to death, among them, Villere, Lafreniere, Marquis and Noyan.

"Tradition tells us that O’Reilly intended to include D’Arensbourg but that the latter was saved through the intercession of Forstall under whose uncle O’Reilly served in the Hibernian regiment in Spain.

"D’Arensbourg came to Louisiana on the ship Porteafaix. He belonged to the German noble family of Von Arensbourg. He served for 40 years as commander of the German Coast and was the progenitor of all the D’Arensbourg families in Louisiana.

"His descendants still live," Dumez said in 1940, "on his plantation at Lucy in St. John Parish. They still have his sword as the only remembrance of their noble ancestor."

Next, Dumez, himself a native of the German Coast, clarified what happened over the years, to the German language and to the last names of many of the original Germans.

"An official census taken in 1724 is the only source of information concerning the founders of the German Coast."

Here we find the following names:

"Joan Sweig of Zainsburg, Germany, came to Louisiana on the ship ëLes Deux Freres’ and settled on the German Coast. The word ësweig’ means ëLa Branche’ in French and being so difficult to pronounce was changed to Labranche.

"Weber, now Webre; Wickner, now Vicknair; Lesch, now Leche or Laiche; Huber, now Oubre; Heidel, now Haydel; Wagensbach, now Waguespack; Himmel, now Hymel; Schaf, now Chauffe; Helfer, now Elfer; Troxler, now Trosclair; Dubs, now Toups; Schecksneider, now Schexnaydre.

"As a rule, the German girls took German husbands and whole families married into one another. As an example, it is stated that out of 10 children of one Jacob Troxler, not fewer than eight married into the Heidel family.

"In such families, the German language survived longest and old Creoles of German descent have said that their grandparents still spoke the German language, although they were unable to read and write the language, as there were never any German teachers on the German Coast.

"Owing to the custom of the Creoles to marry into related families, French gradually became the family language even into those German families which had preserved the German language during three generations.

"The German language disappeared quickest in families where a German man married a French girl. No German was spoken at all and even the Christian names customary in German families disappeared. Instead of Hans Peter, Hans Jacob, Miechl, Andre and Matthis, the boys were now called Sylvian, Honore, Achille, Anatole, Lezin, Ovide and Onesinne, and instead of the good old German names of Anna, Marie, Marianne, Barbara, Katharine, Veronika and Ursula, the girls were named Corinne, Elodie, Fellette, Pelacie and Constance.

"The Creoles of German descent constitute even now (1940) a large, if not the largest, part of the white population of St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes, formerly designated as the German Coast.

"But they spread at an early time over the neighboring parishes where their many children took up new lands for cultivation. They went up to St. James parish where some married into the Acadian families. They also went to Assumption, Ascension and Iberville parishes.

"They invaded Donaldsonville, the former village of the Chetimaches Indians and Bayou Lafourche which branches off from the Mississippi River extending to the Gulf of Mexico. Down Bayou Lafourche, the descendants of the early German names in the church registers.

"In the course of time, however, great changes have occurred among the descendants of the early Germans, though not so much in their physical appearance.

"There are still among them many of the ancient German type who betray the French blood received in the course of time only by their more lively disposition. There are still blue eyes and blonde hair among them, although in some families, both types, the German and the French seem to be equally represented.

"There are still the same very large number of children to be found in their families," Dumez said, suggesting that in addition to being numerous, these families were likely to have physically larger offspring.

"The Creole of German descent is still the most robust of the Creoles, and one well-known family still produces the same giants as in those days when their German great-grandfathers used to drive off the Acadians when they came from St. James parish to disturb the Saturday dances on the German Coast."

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